I met
Marina at a
Star Trek convention in Pasadena, California back in the mid-1990s. She is a very
outgoing,
loquacious woman whose
English accent is more pronounced when she's not playing the role of Ms. Troi. Marina and
Jonathan Frakes (CDR
William T. Riker on
STTNG) were signing
autographs and having a grand old time talking with the line of fans waiting to see them. It was a bit odd not hearing the "normal"
British-sorta accent coming from Marina when we chatted.
There is some real chemistry between Marina and Jonathan, and they play off each other constantly. They ding each other with light-hearted jokes and jibes, and you can tell that they're good friends outside the studio walls.
After signing autographs, they took the stage for some reminiscing of the 'good old days' of The Next Generation. It's easy to see that they must have been the life of the party. She was very disappointed that she didn't get the role as Tasha Yar (she thought she'd make a great tough-gal role model), but the producers convinced her she'd make an excellent Troi. If you look at the very early episodes, you'll see the combination of Troi and Tasha until she nails the character down (and the neckline goes up).
Marina Sirtis can also be found on the Internet in a bit part she played in the movie Death Wish III, where she gets raped and appears topless. If you're a big fan of Troi, don't bother looking for it.